Masters is an interesting one - I’m surprised that Lowes havent walked away yet (if anything, its the opposite, they recently upped their investment). Woolworths put a massive effort in to trying to open as many stores as they could rather then focusing on a few and building a market from there.
Doesnt help that in NSW (at least) the cost of just finding an appropriate site and getting planning approval is massive
Not surprisingly Woolworths is walking away from Masters after buying out Lowes’ share: http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/woolworths-to-pull-plug-on-masters-after-lowes-exercises-put-option-20160117-gm7ygg.html
Does not bode well for the ratings of the new season of House Rules (on Seven mid 2016) of which Masters is a major sponsor.
They probably already provided the sponsorship before it was filmed.
I’m now having a love-hate relationship with Ikea. I’m trying to put together a tallboy/chest of drawers. Unfortunately, they don’t make it clear from the beginning it’s at least a 2-3 person job. I’m now about to take back my 2nd wardrobe for a refund, and going to just give up and buy a former showroom model already made, and skulldrag it up stairs. The mobility in my fingers is disappearing as well - which makes it just as hard. 
Been there mate drove me crazy trying to assemble a simple TV cabinet a while ago,l spent hours attempting it and my son arrived home from work and within 20 minutes he assembled the cabinet! 
Despite having no Masters stores in Tasmania, Woolworths owns Becks Home Timber and Hardware with about 10 stores in Northern Tasmania which are being put in the same category as Masters - sell or shut. These stores were purchased in 2010 as a precursor to the Masters venture and involved buying the Becks businesses and a few stores from former timber company Gunns.
I think the home timber and hardware business is different. From what I’ve read those stores are making money. Most likely easier to sell. Masters on the other hand will probably sell some locations to Bunnings where there are no Bunnings nearby and others will close.
Similar story in Canberra / Queanbeyan where Woolies bought out Magnet Mart and rebranded it as Magnet Mart Home Timber and Hardware. Bunnings recently opened a store literally next door to one of the Magnet Mart stores too…
I’d guess the people behind Mitre 10 would be the most likely purchasers - to then try and find franchisees to own/operate the individual stores - kinda like the takeover of Franklins, which now I google it, are the same people, Metcash…
Industry rumour is a UK company, which is supposedly threatened by Coles’ entrance into the UK, is looking to buy Masters.
Intending to. I thought they hadn’t agreed on a price yet.
They haven’t:
For those who think all the Home Hardware stores are owned by Woolies, I can tell you this - they’re not. I used to do auditing for 3 Home Hardware stores in the Upper Hunter - they’re all owned by individuals and private companies. And I will say - they are some of the best shops I have been into, both as an auditor and as a customer. I hope they don’t get screwed around by this.
Woolies owns the Home Timber and Hardware Group, which is the wholesaler - formerly Danks. Woolies could separate Masters from HTHG and keep Home Hardware, Thrifty-Link and Plants Plus as a wholesale company.
Or sell both as two companies - Masters and HTHG.
I ended up buying a fully assembled tallboy from Ikea for $299 - former floor model, was nearly $400. Managed to find a trolley and lugged it up two flights of stairs. But it’s in there and it fits perfectly.
If they’d called Masters “Danks” instead, I reckon they’d have done much better in the market.
I think anything other than Master’s would have been better. Masters to those in WA is their local flavored milk brand. And to most… We all know that the masters of hardware is not… Well… Masters anyway.
The name wasn’t necessarily the issue. Danks hasn’t been used as a brand since the 1950’s (see here).
The few times I’ve been to Masters, it’s been nothing like going to Bunnings. Quite a few locations are in poor spots, and the staff aren’t nearly as friendly as Bunnings. Although, I’m not a big fan of the Bunnings/Masters idea, preferring the small hardware stores like your Home Hardwares and Mitre 10s, Bunnings does have its pluses.
Woolies have massive issues compared to how Wesfarmers have run Coles since taking them over. Woolies might as well put itself on sale and get some new blood in.
I agree that the name Masters was poor. It was a fairly limp choice with little dynamic about - smelt of “try hard”:
Coupled with the blue font logo, the whole branding was a failure. If they wanted to dent Bunnings market share, they really needed to kick some goals, and that they failed to do.
I entered a Masters store a total of two times and never felt the impulse to return.
This is not to say that Bunnings is perfect. A lot of the stuff that they sell (exclusively) is below par in quality.
I went to Highpoint shopping centre at Melbourne’s west today and saw a notice which says the ABC Shop in the mall will close on Tuesday February 16. I guess other branches will progressively close during this year.
the Northland store closed several months ago